Final 2016 K League Round

The last round of the K League Classic is upon us and we have exciting matches at both the top and bottom. Who will win the title? Who will be relegated? Who will qualify for next season’s AFC Champions League? Read on!

Only one can claim it (photo via FA Photos)

K League Classic – Top Half

First off, there were midweek matches this week (why?). So let’s update those results.

via kleague.com

Jeonbuk and Seoul both won, so they remain level on points, but for the second round in a row Jeonbuk piled on the goals (5-0 vs Jeonnam and 4-1 vs Sangju), so they stretch their goals scored advantage considerably (Seoul managed 2-0 vs Jeju and 2-1 vs Jeonnam). Jeju’s 0-0 draw with Ulsan ensured that the island side will be in next season’s AFC Champions League. The two teams remain 3 points apart but Jeju has a massive +28 goals scored advantage over Ulsan.

courtesy of kleague.com

The highlight match of the round is Jeonbuk vs Seoul without a doubt. Seoul will have to travel down to Jeonju World Cup Stadium and beat the green boys in order to win the title. A tall order considering Seoul has lost all three league encounters to Jeonbuk this season (0-1, 2-3, 1-3), although they did win the most recent encounter (2-1) in the 2nd leg of their ACL semifinal tie. Seoul’s last league win over Jeonbuk was back in June 2015. Jeonbuk’s record against Seoul in the last two seasons (league) stands at an impressive 5-1-1.

There isn’t too much to say about the other two matches. As mentioned earlier, Jeju has already secured qualification to the ACL so they have little to play for. The same is true for Ulsan who have secured fourth place. Ulsan can qualify for the AFC Champions League if Seoul wins the KFA Cup (see below). A Sangju win combined with a Jeonnam loss could see the army side jump up to 5th, which while meaning little in terms of reward, would cap a remarkable season for them when many (myself included) tipped them for relegation.

via soccerway.com

K League Classic – Bottom Half

Let’s post those midweek scores again so we can remind ourselves of the bottom.

courtesy of kleague.com

Two big results from midweek. Suwon Samsung’s win over Incheon sees the Bluewings ensure their safety and place in next season’s K League Classic. Similarly Gwangju’s 1-1 draw with Pohang ensures their status in next year’s Classic. Down at the other end Suwon FC’s 2-1 win over Seongnam means they have a shot at being in the Classic next season (although it remains a tall order).

courtesy of kleague.com

Incheon vs Suwon FC is the one to watch on Saturday. One of these two clubs will be relegated, and in all likelihood that will be Suwon FC. Mathematically they have a chance of pushing Incheon down and at least making the playoffs, but it’ll be a difficult task. Suwon FC must win the match and win by 3 goals. Incheon has a 3 point lead, +2 goals scored lead, and a +8 goals difference advantage. Pohang vs Seongnam is also one to keep an eye on. An Incheon win would put both at danger for falling into the playoffs. Both Pohang and Seongnam sit on 43 points (Incheon is on 42). Due to the goals scored difference, Pohang is in slightly more danger as they really will need to win to ensure their status next season. A draw would be sufficient for Seongnam who would stay above Pohang in the table. Suwon Samsung and Gwangju will be playing for pride as they have both ensured their safety.

The first round of the playoffs was also played midweek, and (sniff, sniff) Gangwon defeated Busan 1-0 thanks to an 89′ winner from Matheus. Gangwon advance to face Bucheon this weekend in Bucheon. The winner of that match will qualify for the two-legged final playoff match against the 11th-placed K League Classic side.

via wikipedia.org

KFA Cup – Finals

With Seoul out of the ACL and Suwon Samsung clear of the relegation battle, the KFA has finally announced the schedule for the KFA Cup finals.

courtesy of KFA Instagram account

The first leg will be played at Suwon World Cup Stadium on Sunday, November 27 (2pm KST) with SBS Sports broadcasting the match live. The second leg will be played at Seoul World Cup Stadium on December 3 (again 2PM KST kick) with MBC broadcasting the match.

Youth National Teams News

During the upcoming weeks/international break, Korea’s U-19 men’s team and U-20 women’s team will also be in action.

courtesy of KFA Instagram account

The talking point for the men’s team is the inclusion of Barcelona youth players Lee Seung-woo and Paik Seung-ho. This is also the U-19 teams first match since the resignation of Ahn Ik-soo following the poor AFC U-19 Champioship showing last month. The U-19 team will take on Iran (11/8), England (11/10), and Nigeria (11/12). All the matches will be at Suwon World Cup Stadium.

K League Classic

Most recent soccer data here. The system is currently retrieving statistics from data feed.

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Team

P

1

Jeonbuk Motors

34

2

Suwon Bluewings

25

3

Jeju United

24

4

Gyeongnam

22

5

Sangju Sangmu

22

6

Gangwon

20

7

Ulsan

20

8

Pohang Steelers

19

9

Seoul

15

10

Jeonnam Dragons

12

11

Incheon United

8

12

Daegu

7

Most recent soccer data here. The system is currently retrieving statistics from data feed.

May 20, 2018

Seoul

0 - 4

Jeonbuk Motors

Pohang Steelers

1 - 1

Suwon Bluewings

Sangju Sangmu

0 - 0

Jeju United

Incheon United

1 - 1

Ulsan

May 19, 2018

Jeonnam Dragons

1 - 1

Daegu

Gyeongnam

0 - 1

Gangwon

English Premier League

Most recent soccer data here. The system is currently retrieving statistics from data feed.

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Team

P

1

Manchester City

100

2

Manchester United

81

3

Tottenham Hotspur

77

4

Liverpool

75

5

Chelsea

70

6

Arsenal

63

7

Burnley

54

8

Everton

49

9

Leicester City

47

10

Newcastle United

44

11

Crystal Palace

44

12

AFC Bournemouth

44

13

West Ham United

42

14

Watford

41

15

Brighton & Hov…

40

16

Huddersfield Town

37

17

Southampton

36

18

Swansea City

33

19

Stoke City

33

20

West Bromwich Albion

31

Hwang Heechan

Most recent soccer data here. The system is currently retrieving statistics from data feed.

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Team

P

1

Red Bull Salzburg

83

Bundesliga

Most recent soccer data here. The system is currently retrieving statistics from data feed.

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Team

P

1

Augsburg 1907

0

2

Bayer 04 Leverkusen

0

3

Bayern München

0

4

Borussia Dortmund

0

5

Borussia Mönchengladbach

0

6

Eintracht Frankfurt

0

7

Fortuna Düsseldorf

0

8

SC Freiburg

0

9

Hannover 96

0

10

Hertha BSC

0

11

TSG 1899 Hoffenheim

0

12

1. FSV Mainz 05

0

13

Nürnberg

0

14

RB Leipzig

0

15

Schalke 04

0

16

Stuttgart

0

17

Werder Bremen

0

Kwon Changhoon

Most recent soccer data here. The system is currently retrieving statistics from data feed.

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Team

P

11

Dijon

48

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